Other Turtle Discussion :: tutles loose

[HERSHEY]

I have had my turtles for almost 3 years they are good size. Shelley is 9 inches and Maxey is 8 inches (I know they are big because I overfed them until I found the site with all it wonderful information). Anyway I have never put them down and let them run around they are kind of lazy just like to hang out and bask. Is this something I should consider doing for them? I really want to make them as happy as possible. Also I have 4 kids and 3 dogs do I need to worry about them passing something on the floor, or do they have to be exposed to salomella to have it?

[Breigh]

I never take my turtles out of the tank unless I'm cleaning it or checking their shells etc. In my opinion taking a turtle out to run around the house is just stress that they don't need. I think you're better off leaving things as they are

[jenaero]

I agree with Breigh. Unnecessary stress. If they have everything they need in their tank (proper size/temps/some mental stimulation) then there's no reason to risk taking them out. I've seen too many instances of turtles getting lost/injured because someone took their eyes off them "just for a second" outside the tank

[industrial_girl_2000]

My Sheba (9" adult RES) roams around my house periodically & LOVES it (follows me around constantly begs for attention & food). I do it mostly to be able to spend time with her one-on-one, and to make sure her shell dries out periodically since I am gone at work during the day. She has occasional accidents, but these happen very rarely anymore because I noticed that she tends to pee/poop right after she eats something. So if I let her out, I make sure 2 hours have passed since her last meal.

I also close the door to the basement when she is walking around so she doesn't fall. And I don't expose her to any cold drafts in the winter. My main floor is always kept warmer for this purpose & that's where she stays. She has the full run of the main floor: bathroom, kitchen, living room, hallway.

However, I don't have any kids or dogs living with me either so I don't have to worry about Sheba getting chewed or stepped on. Unfortunately, most dogs think that a turtle is a chew toy & can chew on the shell (this is NOT good).

As long as you keep your turtles' water very clean, the risk of salmonella from a 8-9" turtle is minimal (of course, I always wash my hands after handling too).

One thing you can do is take them for little supervised walks outside in the summer so they can enjoy real sunlight! But honestly, if they have never been out of their tank, they don't know what they are missing. Sheba only begs to be let out because she knows I let her out (plus, I take her out for feedings in her separate dishpan of water so she has started associating being "let out" as "yummy food coming my way").

[Starchick]

I agree with Kristin. If they haven't come out, and the tank is big enough for lots of swimming, they won't care if you don't let them roam for exercise. I imagine it would be stressful on some more shy turtles. However Napoleon loves coming out and gets very agitated if he isn't let out at least every few days. I live in an apartment, and there's not really anywhere he could get lost except in my bedroom (lots of boxes under the bed) so I just shut the door. Although he's dying to know what's in there, if I open the door he makes a break for it!

I think it depends on your turtle, if he's shy, he will probably be terrified, and it's not worth the risk.

And also, Napoleon has never had an accident out of the tank. Not sure why, it just hasn't happened. But if you do choose to bring your turtle out, keep a close eye on him. They can get wedged into odd places, and they can get underfoot in a matter of seconds.

[HERSHEY]

What mental stimulation do you suggest? They do come out for all feedings that was very important to me so that they would be use to being handle by me so I could check on their health. We really did not know what we were getting into when we bought them at the flea market. I have tryed to research them the best I could without the internet(just recently got wired I am a little behind times) They don't seem to want out but I do worry they are bored. Any suggestions?
FYI Shelley is very destructive when they get bored or anything new that she can try to destroy. We upgraded them to 120 gallons about a year ago and the store owner said that would be big enough for them forever. Starting to wonder if that is true.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Mental stimulation out of the tank: well, I crawl around on the floor on my hands & knees & follow her around. I talk to her, reach for her gently occasionally to pet her, & she crawls on me. If I want her to go someplace quickly (like when I am anxious to put her back in her tank), I put food in my hand & walk backwards. She is more than happy to follow! I put her back in the tank, give her the treat, deal done.

Mental stimulation in the tank: you can rearrange the rocks in there, move the basking dock to the other end of the tank, put a colorful background on the back of the tank, maybe even read something out loud while sitting next to the tank (read to them periodically) so they hear your voice. I know this may sound very silly, but I have found that all my turtles reacted very well to this kind of treatment (gentle talking & handling) & believe me, they do know when they are being constantly ignored.

I know what you mean about mental stimulation because every time I am out of town on vacation, I find the tank in a complete disarray when I come back (filter knocked over, things moved around, etc.). It's almost like Sheba knows I am gone or something. It's very odd. She doesn't do it when I am IN town.

[zero_tails]

same here. i love talking to my turts. i hand feed tails a lot of the time to get that bond an trust, so he wont be as nervous around me much. i also sometimes let him wander in the basement, whil watching him ofcourse. he also likes the ocassional petting. he keeps his head out and its really cute =3. i agree wit you when you say they know when yur gone. they go nuts and cause a ruckus, lol XD

[SpotsMama]

Spot does enjoy coming out of the tank to explore. He swims up to my hand when I reach into his tank. He likes to check out and sniff every little thing.

We have his tank in the den where we (and also our two cats and the dog) spend ALL our time and he watches everything we do with great interest. I think he'd die of loneliness if he was shut up by himself.

[HERSHEY]

Their tank is in our family room where we are a major part of everyday. I use to have problems with Shelley tearing the filter apart so when we got the new tank I got the canister filter, much better now. They do not like when I rearrange their tank (which is hard for me because my family teases that my house is never set up the same way twice) they move everything back or knock it over. I guess I am giving them stimulation because I talk to all of my animals (including the kids) all the time and I do handle them everyday because Max likes to be scratched on her shell. Maybe I will let them wonder around one day although my husband is not very keen on the ideal, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him(ha,ha).

[BullDog]

I know what you mean about mental stimulation because every time I am out of town on vacation, I find the tank in a complete disarray when I come back (filter knocked over, things moved around, etc.). It's almost like Sheba knows I am gone or something. It's very odd. She doesn't do it when I am IN town.

It's so funny you say that! I was just gone for a week, and had the neighbor give Ralph pellets every second day. I got home early this morning and found his car on the opposite side of the tank and his basking platform at the bottom of the tank. That was something I didn't want to deal with at 6 am... But, he greeted me in his usual way ("feed me feed me feed me!!!") and then went back to flirting with his rock

[industrial_girl_2000]

Their tank is in our family room where we are a major part of everyday. I use to have problems with Shelley tearing the filter apart so when we got the new tank I got the canister filter, much better now. They do not like when I rearrange their tank (which is hard for me because my family teases that my house is never set up the same way twice) they move everything back or knock it over. I guess I am giving them stimulation because I talk to all of my animals (including the kids) all the time and I do handle them everyday because Max likes to be scratched on her shell. Maybe I will let them wonder around one day although my husband is not very keen on the ideal, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him(ha,ha).

"Turtle feng shui" LOL!

YES, they do have a very specific way that they like their tank to be arranged. I ran into this when I upgraded to a larger tank for my adult RES. She started moving all sorts of things around, it was cracking me up!